Minienvironment for material handling

Abstract

A minienvironment provides a cleanroom-type environment by maintaining an ultra-filtered clean-air material handling area to minimize or eliminate the exposure of materials to harmful microcontaminants. The minienvironment includes an air flow generator assembly for directing air external to the minienvironment through a filter assembly into a material handling area. A diffuser redirects this filtered air flow over the material handling area in more than one direction to minimize or eliminate the exposure of any surfaces of materials in the handling area to harmful microcontaminants. The resulting continual outward flow of ultra-filtered air over this handling area prevents harmful microcontaminants in the air external to the minienvironment from directly entering the handling area and flushes out any harmful microcontaminants generated within the handling area. Furthermore, a worker may use an opening defined in the minienvironment to handle the materials in the handling area while viewing the handling area through a window panel. The minienvironment may also be easily linked and configured to form an assembly line for product manufacture and assembly where materials may be passed from one handling area to another.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An apparatus for providing a filtered-air environment for material handling comprising: (a) a frame assembly, the frame assembly defining a material handling area within the frame assembly;   (b) a filtered-air delivery assembly for delivering filtered air to the material handling area, the filtered-air delivery assembly including: (i) an air flow generator assembly for directing air to the material handling area from an area external to the material handling area, and   (ii) a filter assembly for filtering the air directed from the external area to the material handling area by the air flow generator assembly;     (c) an air flow redirector configured within the frame assembly for redirecting the air filtered by the filter assembly over the material handling area, the air flow redirector defining at least a pair of work space areas within the material handling area, each work space area having a separate opening for exposing each work space area to the external area such that material is handleable by a person or by a machine in each work space area from the external area through each work space's respective opening.   
     
     
       2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the air flow redirector is for redirecting the air filtered by the filter assembly in more than one direction over the material handling area. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the air flow generator assembly includes a fan assembly for directing the air from the external area at an adjustable speed. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the air flow generator assembly includes a fan assembly for directing the air from the external area and wherein the air flow redirector includes a diffuser for redirecting the air directed by the fan assembly to the material handling area. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a table assembly within the frame assembly, the table assembly having a surface in the material handling area defined by the frame assembly. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frame assembly includes a connector surrounding an opening defined by the frame assembly for exposing the material handling area to an other material handling area within an other frame assembly, and wherein the connector is for providing sealed-connection to the other frame assembly. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frame assembly includes a transparent panel for viewing the material handling area from an area external to the frame assembly. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the transparent panel is configured within the frame assembly for providing access to the material handling area. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the air flow redirector is for redirecting the air filtered by the filter assembly in more than one direction over each of the defined areas. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the filter assembly includes a first filter for filtering the air from the external area and a second filter for filtering the air filtered by the first filter, and wherein the air flow generator assembly is for directing the air filtered by the first filter to the second filter. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second filter is for filtering contaminants in the air filtered by the first filter having a width greater than approximately 0.10 microns. 
     
     
       12. An apparatus for providing a filtered-air environment for material handling comprising: (a) a frame assembly, the frame assembly defining a material handling area within the frame assembly, the frame assembly further defining an opening for exposing the material handling area to a first area external to the frame assembly such that material may be handled in the material handling area by a person or by a machine from the first external area, the frame assembly including a transparent panel for viewing the material handling area from the first external area;   (b) a filtered-air delivery assembly configured within the frame assembly for delivering filtered air to the material handling area, the filtered-air delivery assembly including: (i) a fan assembly for directing air to the material handling area from a second area external to the material handling area, and   (ii) a filter assembly for filtering the air directed from the second external area to the material handling area by the fan assembly; and     (c) a diffuser configured within the frame assembly for redirecting the air filtered by the filter assembly over the material handling area in more than one direction, the diffuser defining at least a pair of work space areas within the material handling area, each work space area having a separate opening for exposing each work space area to the external area such that material is handleable by a person or by a machine in each work space area from the external area through each work space's respective opening.   
     
     
       13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a table assembly within the frame assembly, the table assembly having a surface in the material handling area defined by the frame assembly. 
     
     
       14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the frame assembly includes a connector surrounding an opening defined by the frame assembly for exposing the material handling area to an other material handling area within an other frame assembly, and wherein the connector is for providing sealed-connection to the other frame assembly. 
     
     
       15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the transparent panel is configured within the frame assembly for providing access to the material handling area. 
     
     
       16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the filter assembly includes a first filter for filtering the air from the external area and a second filter for filtering the air filtered by the first filter, and wherein the air flow generator assembly is for directing the air filtered by the first filter to the second filter. 
     
     
       17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the second filter is for filtering contaminants in the air filtered by the first filter having a width greater than approximately 0.10 microns. 
     
     
       18. A system for providing a filtered-air environment for material handling comprising: (a) a plurality of frame assemblies coupled to one another, each of the frame assemblies defining a material handling area;   (b) a filtered-air delivery assembly for delivering filtered air to the material handling areas defined by the frame assemblies, the filtered-air delivery assembly including: (i) an air flow generator assembly for directing air to the material handling area defined by a first frame assembly from an area external to the material handling area defined by the first frame assembly, and   (ii) a filter assembly for filtering the air directed by the air flow generator assembly from the external area to the material handling area defined by the first frame assembly; and     (c) an air flow redirector within each of the frame assemblies for redirecting the air filtered by the filter assembly over the material handling area defined by each of the frame assemblies wherein each of the air flow redirectors is configured within the frame assemblies to define at least a pair of work areas within each of the material handling areas and redirect the air filtered by the filter assembly over the two defined areas.   
     
     
       19. The system of claim 18, wherein the air flow redirectors redirect the air filtered by the filter assembly in more than one direction over the material handling areas defined by each of the frame assemblies. 
     
     
       20. The system of claim 18, wherein the air flow generator assembly includes a fan assembly for directing the air from the external area at an adjustable speed. 
     
     
       21. The system of claim 18, wherein the air flow generator assembly includes a fan assembly for directing the air from the external area and wherein the air flow redirector includes a diffuser for redirecting the air directed by the fan assembly to the material handling areas defined by each of the frame assemblies. 
     
     
       22. The system of claim 18, further comprising a table assembly within each of the frame assemblies, the table assembly having a surface in each of the material handling areas defined by each of the frame assemblies. 
     
     
       23. The system of claim 18, wherein each of the frame assemblies define an opening for exposing each of the material handling areas defined by each of the frame assemblies to an area external to each of the frame assemblies such that material may be handled in each of the material handling areas defined by each of the frame assemblies by a person or by a machine from the area external to each of the frame assemblies. 
     
     
       24. The system of claim 18, wherein each of the frame assemblies include a connector surrounding openings defined by each of the frame assemblies for exposing a material handling area defined by one of the frame assemblies to the material handling area defined by an adjacent frame assembly, and wherein the connector provides sealed-connection to the adjacent frame assembly. 
     
     
       25. The system of claim 18, wherein each of the frame assemblies include a transparent panel for viewing each of the material handling areas defined by each of the frame assemblies from an area external to each of the frame assemblies. 
     
     
       26. The system of claim 25, wherein the transparent panel is configured within the first frame assembly for providing access to the material handling area defined by the first frame assembly. 
     
     
       27. The system of claim 18, wherein the air flow redirector is for redirecting the air filtered by the filter assembly in more than one direction over each of the defined areas. 
     
     
       28. The system of claim 18, wherein the filter assembly includes a first filter for filtering the air from the external area and a second filter for filtering the air filtered by the first filter, and wherein the air flow generator assembly is for directing the air filtered by the first filter to the second filter. 
     
     
       29. The system of claim 28, wherein the second filter is for filtering contaminants in the air filtered by the first filter having a width greater than approximately 0.10 microns.